An information processing apparatus wherein a plurality of operating systems operate on a single processor and a framework (shared object) enabling reliable and quick sharing of correct information between the plurality of operating systems is provided. The apparatus has a function the plurality of operating systems can create, register and refer to the shared object which provides an interface for registration and reference of information. The shared object is operated so that, while one of the operating systems is registering information or referring thereto, the other operating system is inhibited from registering the information and referring thereto. When one operating system finished the registration or reference of the information, one operating system informs the other operating system of the fact.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An information processing apparatus having a plurality of operating systems mounted therein and has an OS switching function of switchingly operating the plurality of operating systems, said apparatus having a sharing function that an application program of one of the plurality of operating systems can refer to shared information registered by an application program of the other operating system in a memory resource capable of being referred to by said plurality of operating systems and an inter-OS communication function, which transfers messages among said plurality of operating systems, wherein said sharing function provides an interface for registration of the shared information in said memory resource by the application programs of said plurality of operating systems and an interface for reference of the shared information registered in said memory resource by the application programs of the plurality of operating systems, and wherein said sharing function acts to inhibit the application program operating on one operating system from registering the shared information in said memory resource or referring thereto while the application program operating on the other operating system is registering the shared information in said memory resource or is referring thereto, and wherein said inter-OS communication function, when said memory resource is accessed by the application program operating on said one operating system, notifies the application program operating on the other operating system registered to the memory resource that the shared information is registered or referred thereto.
2. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said sharing function limits the application program or operating system which is allowed to register the shared information in said memory resource according to the type of the shared information.
3. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the application program (first application program) of at least one of said plurality of operating systems analyzes a signal received by means of broadcasting or communication, extracts position information therefrom and registers the information in said memory resource as the shared information, whereas the application program (second application program) of at least the other operating system refers to the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information and displays it on a display unit.
4. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said second application program displays a map on said display unit and also displays a symbol indicative of a position on said map specified by the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information as overlapped with the map.
5. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said first application program analyzes a signal received by means of broadcasting or communication, extracts therefrom addition information attached thereto and registers the information in said memory resource as the shared information, whereas said second application program displays a map on said display unit, refers to the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information and addition information attached thereto, and displays a symbol indicative of a position on said map specified by said position information as overlapped with said map and as varied in shape or color according to contents of said addition information.
6. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the application program (first application program) of at least one of said plurality of operating systems displays a map on a display unit, accepts an input of position information and registers the information in said memory resource as the shared information, whereas, the application program (second application program) of at least the other operating system refers to the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information and searches for information about the position information.
7. An information processing apparatus having a plurality of operating systems mounted therein and has an OS switching function of switchingly operating the plurality of operating systems, said apparatus having a sharing function that an application program of one of the plurality of operating systems can refer to shared information registered by an application program of the other operating system in a memory resource capable of being referred to by said plurality of operating systems and an inter-OS communication function, which transfers messages among said plurality of operating systems, wherein said sharing function provides an interface for registration of the shared information in said memory resource by the application programs of said plurality of operating systems and an interface for reference of the shared information registered in said memory resource by the application programs of the plurality of operating systems, and wherein said inter-OS communication function, by way of said sharing function acts, when the application program of one operating system registers or refers to the shared information in said memory resource, to inform the application program operating on the other operating system of the fact that the shared information was registered in shared memory resource or was referred thereto.
8. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said sharing function limits the application program or operating system which is allowed to register the shared information in said memory resource according to the type of the shared information.
9. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the application program (first application program) of at least one of said plurality of operating systems analyzes a signal received by means of broadcasting or communication, extracts position information therefrom and registers the information in said memory resource as the shared information, whereas the application program (second application program) of at least the other operating system refers to the position information registered in said memory resources as the shared information and displays it on a display unit.
10. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said second application program displays a map on said display unit and also displays a symbol indicative of a position on said map specified by the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information as overlapped with the map.
11. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said first application program analyzes a signal received by means of broadcasting or communication, extracts therefrom addition information attached thereto and registers the information in said memory resource as the shared information, whereas said second application program displays a map on said display unit, refers to the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information and addition information attached thereto, and displays a symbol indicative of a position on said map specified by said position information as overlapped with said map and as varied in shape or color according to contents of said addition information.
12. An information processing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the application program (first application program) of at least one of said plurality of operating systems displays a map on a display unit, accepts an input of position information and registers the information in said memory resource as the shared information, whereas, the application program (second application program) of at least the other operating system refers to the position information registered in said memory resource as the shared information and searches for information about the position information.
13. An information processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of operating systems mounted therein; an operating system switching function which switches between the plurality of operating systems; a sharing function that an application program of one of the plurality of operating systems can refer to shared information registered by an application program of the other operating system in a memory resource capable of being referred to by the plurality of operating systems, wherein said sharing function inhibits the application program operating on one operating system from registering the shared information in said memory resource or referring thereto while the application program operating on the other operating system is registering the shared information in said memory resource or is referring thereto wherein said sharing function provides an interface for registration of the shared information in said memory resource by the application programs of said plurality of operating systems and an interface for reference of the shared information registered in said memory resource by the application programs of the plurality of operating systems.
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March 2, 2001
October 24, 2006
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